history of the Python programming language
History of Python - Wikipedia
The programming language Python was conceived in the late 1980s, and its implementation was started in December 1989 by Guido van Rossum at CWI in the Netherlands as a successor to ABC โ€ฆ Wikipedia
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to Python
docs.python-guide.org โ€บ writing โ€บ documentation
Documentation โ€” The Hitchhiker's Guide to Python
It converts reStructuredText markup language into a range of output formats including HTML, LaTeX (for printable PDF versions), manual pages, and plain text. There is also great, free hosting for your Sphinx docs: Read The Docs. Use it. You can configure it with commit hooks to your source repository so that rebuilding your documentation will happen automatically. When run, Sphinx will import your code and using Pythonโ€™s introspection features it will extract all function, method, and class signatures.
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Real Python
realpython.com โ€บ documenting-python-code
Documenting Python Code: A Complete Guide โ€“ Real Python
July 17, 2026 - A complete guide to documenting Python code. Whether you're documenting a small script or a large project, whether you're a beginner or seasoned Pythonista, this guide will cover everything you need to know.
Discussions

Is there a program to help you document Python functions?
I use this extension in VS Code More on reddit.com
๐ŸŒ r/Python
56
247
September 17, 2020
What are your preferred conventions for documenting python code?
Module docstrings. I don't think I've ever worked with someone else who writes them. Open up a file for the first time, see 30 lines of imports and a bunch of functions that call each other, the file name is generic and provides no context. This tier of missing documentation is really painful. Just explain what should be used outside the module, specific terminology used here and how things link together. I'm tired of building up the design in my mind from all the implementation bits. More on reddit.com
๐ŸŒ r/Python
20
22
December 7, 2022
Learning all built-in functions
Has anyone just made a list of all the built in python functions https://docs.python.org/3/reference/ and then used that as a practice guide? Hell no, no one remembers them all... You might have better luck with a cheatsheet. https://www.pythoncheatsheet.org/ More on reddit.com
๐ŸŒ r/learnpython
9
1
November 10, 2022
Inline function documentation
This is one of those things like driving on the left vs on the right, where there's no objective right answer, you should just be consistent with the people around you. However, the other commenter is right that you don't have to write types in docstrings anymore. Type hints let you express the type constraints with greater precision, and they can be checked for correctness by tools like mypy . So, use them where possible. More on reddit.com
๐ŸŒ r/learnpython
5
1
August 19, 2023
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Read the Docs
app.readthedocs.org โ€บ projects โ€บ python-essentials โ€บ downloads โ€บ pdf โ€บ latest pdf
Python Essentials Documentation Release 0.1a Jason McVetta Sep 27, 2017
It is also available in PDF and ePub formats. ... Students who have completed Python Essentials may wish to check out Advanced Python. ... This curriculum was derived from class notes written by Jeremy Osbourne at Silicon Bay Training. ... Chapter 2. About ... The interpreter in python can be your best friend, both for experimentation and documentation about Python objects.
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DataCamp
datacamp.com โ€บ tutorial โ€บ docstrings-python
Python Docstrings Tutorial : Examples & Format for Pydoc, Numpy, Sphinx Doc Strings | DataCamp
February 14, 2025 - Let's view the built-in Python Docstrings. All the built-in functions, classes, methods have the actual human description attached to it. You can access it in one of two ways. ... You would notice that the output of the help function is more verbose than the __doc__ attribute. ... This module provides access to the mathematical functions defined by the C standard. ... In a class definition, a docstring can be used to provide documentation for the class as a whole.
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Python
docs.python.org โ€บ 3
Python 3.14 documentation
1 month ago - General index All functions, classes, and terms ยท Glossary Terms explained ยท Search page Search this documentation ยท Complete table of contents All sections and subsections ยท Project information: Reporting issues ยท Contributing to docs ยท Download the documentation ยท
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Programiz
programiz.com โ€บ python-programming โ€บ docstrings
Python Docstrings (With Examples)
It should serve as a quick reference to all the functions and arguments. The docstrings for a Python package is written in the package's __init__.py file. It should contain all the available modules and sub-packages exported by the package. We can write docstring in many formats like the reStructured text (reST) format, Google format or the NumPy documentation format.
Find elsewhere
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org โ€บ python โ€บ python-docstrings
Python Docstrings - GeeksforGeeks
September 19, 2025 - Example 2: This function shows how to use triple double quotes for docstrings. ... def my_func(): """This is a docstring using triple double quotes.""" return None print(my_func.__doc__) ... This is a docstring using triple double quotes. Google style docstrings follow a specific format and are inspired by Google's documentation style guide. They provide a structured way to document Python code, including parameters, return values and descriptions.
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Dataquest
dataquest.io โ€บ home โ€บ blog โ€บ how to use python docstrings for effective code documentation
Tutorial: Documenting in Python with Docstrings
December 13, 2024 - For example, I doubt we would need to add more information about the arguments or output to the sum_subtract() function because the summary is already descriptive enough. There are four primary types of docstrings, all of which follow the above recommendations: ... You can look at all of them and decide which one you like the most. NumPy/SciPy and Google docstrings will appear more frequently even though reStructuredText is the official Python documentation style.
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Python Basics
python-basics-tutorial.readthedocs.io โ€บ en โ€บ latest โ€บ functions โ€บ index.html
Functions - Python Basics
Basic function definitions: The basic syntax for a Python function definition is As with control streams, Python uses indentation to separate the function from the function definition. The followin...
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Python documentation
docs.python.org โ€บ 3 โ€บ tutorial โ€บ index.html
The Python Tutorial โ€” Python 3.14.7 documentation
The same site also contains distributions of and pointers to many free third party Python modules, programs and tools, and additional documentation. The Python interpreter is easily extended with new functions and data types implemented in C or C++ (or other languages callable from C).
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Readthedocs
sphinxcontrib-napoleon.readthedocs.io โ€บ en โ€บ latest โ€บ example_google.html
Example Google Style Python Docstrings โ€” napoleon 0.7 documentation
.. _PEP 484: https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0484/ """ def function_with_pep484_type_annotations(param1: int, param2: str) -> bool: """Example function with PEP 484 type annotations. Args: param1: The first parameter. param2: The second parameter. Returns: The return value. True for success, False otherwise. """ def module_level_function(param1, param2=None, *args, **kwargs): """This is an example of a module level function. Function parameters should be documented in the ``Args`` section.
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Lsst
developer.lsst.io โ€บ v โ€บ DM-7674 โ€บ docs โ€บ py_docs.html
Documenting Python APIs โ€” LSST DM Developer Guide latest documentation
Parameters ---------- values : iterable Python iterable whose values are summed. Returns ------- sum : `float` Sum of `values`. """ pass ยท Like method and function docstrings, the docstring should immediately follow the class definition, without a blank space.
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Swimm
swimm.io โ€บ learn โ€บ code-documentation โ€บ documentation-in-python-methods-and-best-practices
Documentation in Python: Methods and Best Practices - Swimm
November 5, 2024 - It can generate documentation in various formats (including HTML and PDF) from reStructuredText, a lightweight markup language. Sphinx can also auto-generate API documentation from your codeโ€™s docstrings.
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Pandas
pandas.pydata.org โ€บ docs โ€บ development โ€บ contributing_docstring.html
pandas docstring guide โ€” pandas 3.0.6 documentation
Some standards regarding docstrings ... html or pdf. The first conventions every Python docstring should follow are defined in PEP-257. As PEP-257 is quite broad, other more specific standards also exist. In the case of pandas, the NumPy docstring convention is followed. These conventions are explained in this document...
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Lsst
developer.lsst.io โ€บ v โ€บ DM-5063 โ€บ docs โ€บ py_docs.html
Documenting Python Code โ€” LSST DM Developer Guide latest documentation
A one-line summary that does not use variable names or the function name: def add(a, b): """Sum two numbers.""" return a + b ยท The summary should be written as a present-tense action. Do not write something like โ€œSums two numbers.โ€ ยท The one line summary can be used alone only in extremely trivial cases, such as Python properties.
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Ubc-dsci
ubc-dsci.github.io โ€บ reproducible-and-trustworthy-workflows-for-data-science โ€บ lectures โ€บ 900-functions-in-python.html
56 Defining functions in Python โ€“ Reproducible and Trustworthy Workflows for Data Science
Note that functions in Python are objects. Default values can be specified in the function definition: def math_two_numbers(x, y, operation = "add"): if (operation == "add"): return x + y else: return x - y ... Function documentation is extremely useful at both the time of function creation/development, as well as at the time of function usage by the user.
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Python
docs.python.org โ€บ 3 โ€บ builtins โ€บ functions.html
Built-in Functions โ€” Python 3.14.7 documentation
The Python interpreter has a number of functions and types built into it that are always available. They are listed here in alphabetical order.,,,, Built-in Functions,,, A, abs(), aiter(), all(), a...
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Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/python โ€บ is there a program to help you document python functions?
r/Python on Reddit: Is there a program to help you document Python functions?
September 17, 2020 -

I just finished a Python project and now want to go back and document each function while it is still fresh in my head. Is there a program that will scan your code for functions that don't have a doc-string and then interactively ask you to:

  • describe the function

  • document each parameter

  • document the return value

It would then create a doc-string for you that you could simply copy/paste into your code.

Thanks.

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CodeRivers
coderivers.org โ€บ blog โ€บ python-function-documentation
Python Function Documentation: A Comprehensive Guide - CodeRivers
February 22, 2026 - For example, if you start using a particular format for documenting parameters in one function, use the same format throughout. Sphinx is a popular tool for generating documentation from Python docstrings. It can create beautiful, organized documentation in various formats (such as HTML, PDF).